Booking Dance Festival showcases 12 US dance companies

10-minute canapés of American dance

The festival within a festival returns to the Fringe for the second time, bringing dynamic performances from our friends across the pond. The Booking Dance Festival showcases 12 US dance companies over two programmes, with each one given ten minutes to impress an audience.

Booking’s executive producer, Jodi Kaplan, first spotted a gap in the Fringe for this type of event a few years ago, while studying in Edinburgh. ‘I noticed that dance was a peripheral art form within the Fringe and Scottish culture,’ she says. ‘And I dreamed of returning to Scotland and bridging the American and Scottish dance communities. Booking is one step towards reaching that goal.’

The festival’s programme is split over four genres – beautiful, lyrical, rock it and athletic – to encompass the diverse talents of the dancers and choreographers. Kaplan hopes both dance lovers and the uninitiated will enjoy this glimpse into the American dance scene. ‘It’s incredible to see the human body sculpted in time and interpret music,’ she says. ‘Dance is a universal art form that is the heartbeat of art.’

Week One - Festival Showcase: A dance 'festival-within-a-festival'! Mesmerizing, uplifting, inspiring dance performed by the most captivating, stunningly beautiful dance companies to emerge from the USA in decades. Be moved! Bite-sized festival format. 'Perfect for the Edinburgh Fringe lover!' (ThreeWeeks). Come see over…

Week Two - Festival Showcase: More dance 'festival-within-a-festival'! An explosion of blast-off movement in a dazzling, high-energy contemporary production. Watch the best, most innovative American dance artists 'Rock It'! Bite-sized festival format. Be incredibly moved! If you like 'Week One: Beautiful', you will love…